http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLko4TmJkUQ[/quote]


Melvins: Eye Flys

I thought it was too slow at first. The build up was tedious, but then, as it grew and grew, I started to really anticipate what it was leading into. Not having heard the Melvins, I expected some serious thrash to be at the end, something fast, something raw, something unforgiving perhaps? But that's not what I got. What I got was sludgy and slow, and i suppose it had a strong effect but it wasn't my thing.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuG6P-K1FEs

Baroness - The Gnashing

I was at peace with that song, it was soothing, atmosphere and judging by the cover it was nothing like I'd expect it. Although I did want a little more out of that song. It didn't feel like it had too much oomph to it, even though its suppose to be atmospheric. Not a bad song overall though, id listen to it again

Rate : 70%

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzw8dAEghk8

Krypts - Day Of Reckoning

THIS is more like it! Bloody fantastic, brooding lead up to some skull-splitting old-school, down-tuned malevolence. I am a absolute rabid devourer of this style of Death Metal, the more filthy the better too in some cases, and this delivers. The whole rotten affair still has that raw edge to it without sacrificing feral power, my only complaint with it is that it ended too soon. This goes on my want list...

Here we go...

The cover reminded me of Watain and the music certainly did not prove me wrong. This was much punkier/thrashier though, which was a nice touch. I loved the primal yet polished production. A bit more bass presence wouldn't hurt though. Overall, a great new release which slipped past my eye. PS: Winds of Damnation sounds even better. Those menacing arpeggios are ungodly.

Can't ever go wrong with some Mithras: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmYgJPOEH2Q

Mithras - Psyrens

Classic, of course. Mithras are fucking incredible - and this song embodies many of the reasons why. Love the tripped out, spacey guitar leads all over this track. They really add an incredible atmosphere. Of course the passionate vocal performance and Morbid Angel worship that lies beneateh it are fucking brutal - but in a word this song is otherworldly.

Now for a personal favorite of mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOous91wrtE

Listening to that Opeth track instantly reminded me of my Jr. High days playing Final Fantasy 2 on SNES. Take a listen.

Opeth @ 2:12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOous91wrtE

Final Fantasy 2 (4) @ :04
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0dmXzqgkc4

As far as the review? I was never a fan of this band and could not even make it through the whole song. There are very few bands, in my eyes that can pull off 10-14 min songs and still be interesting throughout. Opeth are great musicians and some of the "heavier" parts of this song are very appealing, but if I want to hear hours of droning slower tunes, I will break out the ol nes and kill some imps! (sorry for the neg review, just not a fan)

Here's mine, a little known song by a seldom talked about band (aside from their death metal debut)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1fujcqJB8

I don't really see any similarity between the Opeth track and the FFIV tune... Well the general feel of the music is somewhat similar I guess. The FFIV tune is awesome though; it brought back great memories.

About the Cemetary song:
Oh look, another one of them death-turned-gothic Scandinavian bands haha. The riffing was okay for the genre, but the vocals were rather weak, and the drums a bit too Ulrich-esque for my liking. Not much to say as I'm neither well-versed in or a big fan of gothic stuff in general, other than the occasional Tiamat and Potentiam.

This one should be interesting...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWJiQxf9Epk

Arise in Stability:

nice riffs in the beginning. Obviously very talented band here. They reminded me of certain mid-90s bands, especially that US band Dawnbringer in their propensity to go all-over-the-place with seemingly little rhyme or reason, though this Arise band has less traditional metal in their sound. I have to say I didn't like the vocals at all...very screechy and without real character or intensity. Song kind of lost me after a couple of minutes, especially with the second acoustic break and misplaced double-bass fills.

And here is Metalian from Quebec!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vZw7XVFDtc

Having just written a review for Arise in Stability - Unknown grudge crystal, I've been piped by Abominatrix. So I'll have a quick listen to 'Metal Ed.: Metalian (Can) - Conquest' instead.

Starts of slowly, sounds like it was uploaded from a tape. Sounds like old skool heavy metal. Something I might have listened to when I first started out in metal. The singer is great, Dio'esque I guess. It has the NWOBHM feel to it in the vein of Iron Maiden. Never heard this before, but I do like it. I'm often put off by clean high vocals but I don't mind this at all. Cheers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIo9-JZ2bFs

It probably was uploaded from a tape at that. They have at least two demos out and although I believe they were also pressed on CD the majority were given out on cassettes. Yeah, the singer is fantastic and reminds me of Halford in his prime actually. They're an incredible live band and seriously teh next best thing to seeing Priest in the late 1970s. They even cover "Tyrant", "Exciter", "Victim of Changes" in concert...

usually what happens with these sorts of threads is that one or two people end up monopolising the game until the thread more or less dies, so I'll step back and see if someone else wants to tackle Criminal ELement for now..maybe come back at lunch.

You're right, the singer does sound more like Rob Halford. A friend of mine is very much into this type of metal, I'll recommend this to him. I've just recommended Exciter, Accept and another band I can't for the life of me remember right now, which he's not heard before.

I could spend hours in this thread but I shall resist.. I'll come back to it again if its still running.

I will make it....still...running?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNSEHmIZ-AE

Yeah.. but you need to review the band I posted first.

Sorry man, didn't see your link, Cant listen to it now (family in the room) but I'll post a review later this evening.

Sorry Henkjelle, yours doesn't count yet.

Criminal Element:

Very intense! That's some pretty wild drumming. Love the stereo separation on the kit. I think I would have preferred some more hardcore-ish vocals (IE, shoutier), but these growls are fairly effective. Love the little solo. When the second guitar dropped out and there was just one chugging away I knew a mid-paced mosh break was coming, and I wasn't disappointed, but I kind of wish they hadn't just ended the song like that and had returned to the furious intensity for one last blast before finishing off.

And now, here's some Grand Belial's Key!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IylsKsJnHDY

I can't resist the call of GBK!

There are very few black metal bands in existence who could open a song with such a bouncy and playful riff without losing an ounce of their menace or intensity. I love the way the speedier riff that follows seems to play around with the same motifs as the bouncier one, only sped up. Alex proves again and again to be a master at figuring out how to slot riffs together in the most satisfying ways. Although relegated a bit to the background because of the production the drumming is definitely some of my favorite found on any black metal record. Played loose and with a fire in his belly. Lyrics are the same top notch sneering blasphemy we've all come to expect and love from these guys. Gelal loves to change up tempos and there is a fantastically wilting solo leading into the outro. A great deep-track from what is possibly their best album. I constantly go back and forth between preferring this or the follow-up.

Cauldron Born - Synchronicity at Midnight/A Baying of Hounds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV5wotCqIw0

Cauldron Born - Synchronicity at Midnight/A Baying of Hounds:

Holy fuck! That was awesome! Some really creative, sweeping leads took my breath away- kinda neo-classicalish. The riffing was bad ass. I really enjoyed the vocals as well. They have an edge to them, or a sneer if you will, that sounds particularly sinister to me. Is all of Cauldron Born this good? I'm really digging the sound of this. It's familiar yet somehow unique. I'm going to be checking these guys out some more.

Grave Digger - Crucified
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRqw_wxiQAU

Grave Digger - Crucified

Oh joy! A seven minute power metal ballad!

Though at first I was a bit worried I might be heading into generic ballad territory, the first riff blew that notion away entirely! In fact, I wouldn't really call this a 'ballad', but rather an epic doom song. The slow tempo, the first-person point of view of Jesus' crucifixion, the general bleak atmosphere presented throughout the song... yeah, this is doom! Overall, I like it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ3n68Ucwog

More or less, yes. The only reason I would hesitate to say "absolutely" is because thats probably my favorite of their songs. Both Cauldron Born albums are must-haves.

You can get the debut (Born of the Cauldron) straight from the man himself at his webstore:

http://www.echoesofcromrecords.com/Store.html

I really did my best to enjoy this but the whole melodic chord, slow tempo, and dissonant vocal territory isn't something that works for these guys. 4/10. The entire song just dragged on and I know that's the whole purpose of their sound, but it was just a chore to sit through that same repetitive riff especially at that tempo.

Varathron-Birthrise of the graven image
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE3U7VwjeZI

lol, and I picked one of the shorter songs from their most recent album. The last track is 33 minutes long! But funeral doom isn't for everyone.

I do like that song's solo though.



So we got here is some fairly raw black metal with some tidbits of death metal thrown in for good measure. It is technical at times without being overbearing, and the riffs are absolutely excellent! I really like the guitar solo.

Lonewolf - Made In Hell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPmmnCSlpqQ

The chorus was the best part of that song in my opinion, the main riff was solid but the vocals reminded me like that joke off of Sabaton with that gritty tone. Not my thing but its sure to get the Euro heavy metal fans pumping their firsts in the air.

The 3rd and the Mortal-Salva me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNAjQPAlqBE

Beautiful. I like this stuff, but kari is not really that great a singer in my view. There's a certain thin whininess to her voice that I don't like much. Still, she does well in this song, and they always use loads of reverb over everything to make their music sound both ghostly and cavernous, so you won't notice this as much as you would in her solo works. Their second vocalist was better, but by then they dropped a lot of the metal from their sound. Anyway, I really like the mournful feeling here, and the production is absolutely top-class. Great drumming too.

Great choice with that Varathron. Let's stick with Helas for now. Here's deviser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nv4BTCcAzg

I really liked the guitar leads and the fact that you could hear the bass. The riffs were decent but were heavily drowned out by the drums so its kind of hard to tell what really going on. However, the drums are what just about made the whole thing unlistenable. Far too high in the mix and with such a clicky bass drum it nearly made me lose my mind. Overall, not something I'd search for but I'd still listen to it.

Mortifera - Ciel Brouillé
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YulTtmyopNQ

Yeah, listening to Threnody on headphones now, the clickiness of the bass drum is particularly evident. Still, I really like the album.

Can't listen to Mortifera now as I'm busy at work; maybe someone else will take a crack before I come back...

Mortifera - Ciel Brouillé

Love this track. It’s Mortifera at their best- wistful, melancholic and full and emotion. The main riffs repeats for much of the track with only a few breaks, but its compelling enough to keep me listening. The song progresses quite nicely towards the end- there’s a simple but effective clean guitar lead, which really stands out compared to the usual hazey wall of sound guitars that a lot of DSBM has. Also notable is a very present bass in the mix, which gives the band a very full, real sound that breaks away from the cavernous mud a lot of bands this style go for. Neige sounds fantastic as well, his tortured screams fit the track perfect. Lovely stuff. 9/10.

Nocturnus – Droid Sector

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djfJ2lHheAY

That sounded pretty pointless, sure they can play, there is no feeling in the music. It goes in one ear and out the other, then ends, while I am struggling to pay enough attention to write this. I guess technical wankery is not really my cup of tea, perhaps if it was a means to an end rather then the end itself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1fmBcmiLyk

That was incredible and while it sounds a bit more upbeat in tempo than most funeral doom bands, the atmosphere was very mournful which was contrasted somewhat by the constant cymbalwork. The vocals really did a great job by playing into the background of the song and letting the atmosphere speak for itself. I loved it and I really need to check out more of Ysigim now, thanks for posting that song.

Encoffination-Eucharist of bone and flame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5mcCMQg ... re=related

Loved the murky production on the Encoffination song. The vocals were also good; fairly unique. The song itself was good but not much more; it took too long to really pick up. Could have used with a bit more uptempo sections and slightlymore varried riffing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5MsMVt7bJc

Holy mother of FUCKING Jesus that is heavy!

Reminds me a lot of Incantation, and I love me some Incantation. A very dark atmosphere, very cavernous and gloomy. I love the guitar sound, it's somewhat muted but with the cavernous vocals this really adds to the atmosphere. The true selling point for me is the ending with the very slow doomy riff and a tolling bell on top.

EDIT: Someone posted about Encoffination before me. So I'll review Deadly Blessing - Search and Destroy now:

Overall it is a solid thrashy power metal song. I like the vocals of this song in particular. Guitar riffs are excellent, another power/thrash band I haven't heard of that I should take time to check out. Got some good head-banging parts too. I'm really digging the guitar solo toward the end too!


Now for something that is neither doomy nor gloomy, but Gloominous Doom!

Gloominous Doom - Portal Potty
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dUvLqjvkuY

(It's about time travel, while taking a shit!)

Not a fan of this at all. While I liked the instrumental build-up, when the vocals came in I quickly lost all interest. While technically good, the vocals are too in the forefront drowning out pretty solid guitarwork. That'd be fine if the guy had something remotely distinctive about his vocal-style, but he doesn't--he's just a well-trained vocalist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlrQ0Pt-tG8

@ Goatfangs I figured you'd like that the whole album is actually very unique, not too many uptempo parts maybe three or four on the entire album, its up your alley if you like occult death metal.

@ Thrashierthanthou

That was killer as well whoever that vocalist is he can really hit the high notes, the music was great as well, though the vocals overshadowed the riffs at certain points. Yet another classic classic underground thrash gem that never saw the light of day, its a shame because that vocalist is talented.

Fleshgrind-The Deviating Ceremonies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE0t0VPu4hE

Not really my cup of tea, but not bad at all, the bass tone is lovely. Its sounds rather standard, but I can feel that the energy put into it was genuine. Still, I don't think I would come back to it often.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rn7Zmuh_jM



Yeah, Ysigim are one of the more unique and interesting funeral doom bands I know of, much like Skepticism and Thergothon, except those two are a bit more consistent.

Windham Hell - Cold Granitic Bliss

Holy fuck, this was incredible! The insane amounts of melody and neo-classical motifs just made for nonstop eargasms. Love the word clean guitar tone intermixed with the intense heavy stuff. The guitar attack on this song has completely torn out my cunt! I'm checking out more Windham Hell, now!

Next one:

Asbestosdeath - Nail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTj3f9fbjQM

God damnit.

Asbestosdeath is awesome, first got into them because I'm a huge fan of Sleep. If you take into account that Vol. 1 was very sludgy, it's not at all surprising to see the sort of vile, crusty doom the two were into before their sounds got refined down to where they are today. The eerie opening chords set the tone for the monolithic assault to follow. The drums lazily beat out a tense, mellow tune while the melodies layer upon one another until all hell breaks loose when the harsh riffs and the vocals come in. Very well done sludge. I love the tortured tone in the vocals and the sheer might of the simple driving force provided by the rhythm of the riffs. The way every gets tied up and the song has a rough symmetry at the end makes it a satisfying listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q97jJSr2eIA

I remember playing Window of souls to a tech death friend of mine who enjoys bands like Necrophagist and Gorod, and the look on his face when I played "Corporal Compendia" was: "How the fuck did he do that with the bass". Windham hell are one of the few bands that I've ever heard that can blend astounding musical feats with beautiful otherworldly atmosphere, and the guy could really create entire worlds of sound by just his own skill.

Beautiful song of course.

Gorgoroth-Profetens Apenbarig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nf_zOPMQYQ

I know its a bit more familiar to some of you, but I wanted to post it before its memory is violated by the Under the sign of hell reissue.

I'm not going to review the above song and post a song of my own because I don't want to spam this thread, but the main riff of that Gorgoroth song is incredibly fucking epic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOBBAoq9ggM[/quote]

I hear chunky riffs
the clean vocals are very
nice. not bad, Swano.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLko4TmJkUQ[/quote]


Doomy Riffs,Cool Tone
Sludgy Atmosphere
Doom Vox
cewl shizz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_bl3Kku ... ideo_title

I'll play now, and catch up with the rest of the thread later on. Fun idea, btw!


They got the lyrics of the intro wrong. It should have been "before you see the light... you must die!" as in the original song. After the Slayer-worship though, it goes on to become an enjoyable piece of old school thrashy death, albeit neither brilliant nor unique. I always liked this type of nervous, barely stable riffs with micro-solos, hammer-ons and bends flashing all over the place in them, and while they're no Intruder, they do it pretty well. The vocals and production are a bit weak, but the overall atmosphere is cool. Nice and filthy.


My turn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mPhb4LPfoU

Melodic, tight and atmospheric death metal of the Old School flavor. The only problem I have with this is the drums are a bit too loud in the mix, but the guitars still sound great. A good mix of doomy sections and uptempo headbanging parts.

Reposting Portal Potty by Gloominous Doom since no one reviewed it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dUvLqjvkuY